Episode 1201 (19th July 1972)
Plot Minnie wonders what the weather is like at Newton Abbot where a horse she wants to bet on is running. Showing trust in him, Annie asks Jacko to eat his lunch with them. Rita still can't decide whether to take the job with Benny. Len books a meal out for the two of them. Benny also asks Rita to come round to his flat that night but she turns him down. Cyril overhears that Jacko, who he has arrested before, is working at the Rovers. Jacko sees him in the pub and asks for a word with him. Minnie is furious when she tries to place her bet and discovers from Benny that Ena has got her barred from the betting shop. Jacko tells Cyril that he's going straight and asks him not to reveal he's been inside. Minnie looks for Ena to have it out with her. Len gets a phone call to say he has to attend an an emergency meeting of the council. Minnie finds Ena and tearfully tells her she's had enough of her interfering and that their friendship is over. Len tells Rita he can't take her out after all. Cyril tells Betty that Jacko is a petty thief but he's promised he's going straight. Benny entertains Rita in his new luxury flat above the betting shop though few of the remote controlled things work properly. Hilda finds them there together. Rita tells Benny she will work for him. Hilda gleefully gossips to Len that Rita is with Benny. Cast Regular cast *Betty Turpin - Betty Driver *Billy Walker - Kenneth Farrington *Annie Walker - Doris Speed *Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss *Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander *Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson *Rita Littlewood - Barbara Mullaney *Norma Ford - Diana Davies *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant *Ray Langton - Neville Buswell *Jerry Booth - Graham Haberfield *Cyril Turpin - William Moore Guest cast *Benny Lewis - Jeremy Young *Jacko Ford - Robert Keegan *Ted Loftus - Ted Morris Places *Coronation Street *Rovers Return Inn - Public/Snug *Corner Shop *Community Centre flat *Benny Lewis's Betting Shop - Counter and office *Benny Lewis's flat - Living room Notes *Final appearance of William Moore as Cyril Turpin, although the character would not be killed off until 20th February 1974. *Two years before making her first appearance as Vera Duckworth, Elizabeth Dawn appears as an extra in scenes in the Rovers. *Minnie Caldwell refers to the occasion when she ran away because of her betting (seen in Episode 852 (19th February 1969)) and the trip to Blackpool that Dave Smith took her on (seen in Episode 1117 (29th September 1971)). *''TV Times'' synopsis: Jacko is recognised, Rita entertained - and Minnie barred. *Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 5,350,000 homes (10th place). Notable dialogue Len Fairclough (at the Rovers' bar): "And one for the, er, messenger..." Hilda Ogden: "Oh ta!" Len Fairclough: "...a glass of arsenic." Category:1972 episodes